Wadsworth is getting a pedestrian bridge replacement to connect the community split by the Truckee River.
The bridge’s wooden slabs have gaps where the flowing water is visible below, and it wobbles when people walk across it. During the school year, kids use it to cross the river. It’s an aging bridge at the end of its life.
Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal Councilmember Nathan Dunn said replacing it is about safety and flood mitigation.
“Previously, when they did have floods back in the 90s, there was like huge logs or trees coming through, so they would actually build up right here and create a dam,” Dunn said.
The new bridge will be taller and wider to help keep the water level down, said George Robison, the executive director of the Truckee River Flood Management Authority (TRFMA), overseeing the project.
Last year, TRFMA provided the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe $17 million for ecosystem-based and river bank securement projects.
The Wadsworth bridge will cost $2.4 million. The money comes from a small increment in Washoe County sales tax instituted after the major 1997 flood.
“It’s 1/8 of a cent. That funds our whole agency, and we’re using that not only for this bridge, but also for flood mitigation projects up in Reno that really have significance,” Robison said. “If we had another 1997 type flood, we would be looking at $2 billion plus of damage.”
The flood in 1997 caused two deaths and about $700 million in damage.
The pedestrian bridge is scheduled to be completed ahead of the 2026 school year and will benefit tribal and non-tribal members alike.
